We're hearing from Angus Brendan MacNeil now, who is talking about calls for a possible ceasefire in Gaza.

The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee chair strays from his brief to ask about a vote on 15 November, when the PM didn't back calls for a ceasefire in the Commons, while the death toll was at 11,200 in Gaza.

He adds that now, a month later, there is around 19,000 dead, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. He asks if it's time the PM adds his voice to the other countries calling for a ceasefire.

Sunak says the government has been consistent in calling for sustained humanitarian pauses or a sustainable ceasefire.

But the PM argues that it has to be genuinely sustainable, that hostages have to be released, and Hamas has to stop firing rockets into Israel.

The Labour chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Dame Meg Hillier MP, asks why financial details of the Rwanda scheme are only published annually, rather than released to committees that scrutinise the plan.

Why can’t you be “open and honest” about the policy, she asks.

Producing accounts is “perfectly normal” Sunak says. He also hints that there might be commercial reasons not to release the information including “wanting to have conversations with other countries”.

Does this mean the government is talking to other countries about a similar Rwanda scheme, Sir Bernard Jenkin asks. Sunak says he didn't say that, but if the government wanted to it would conduct these conversations in private.

Sunak in testy exchange over 'stop the boats' pledgepublished at 13:53 Greenwich Mean Time 19 December 2023

13:53 GMT 19 December 2023

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Rishi Sunak is facing questions on his Rwanda scheme from multiple committee chairs.

This is a crucial part of the prime minister’s pledge to “stop the boats” – one of his five priorities at the start of the year.

In a testy exchange with Dame Diana Johnson, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, Sunak failed to say when he would meet his deadline to “stop the boats”, could not say whether he would meet his target to clear the legacy asylum backlog, and also did not say when the overall backlog of asylum cases will be cleared.

This is likely to be a key area of debate next year in the build up to the general election.

The danger for the prime minister is by making “stop the boats” one of his priorities, he has highlighted an area where the government is facing complex problems and a difficult issue to resolve.

Read BBC Verify’s assessment of whether Sunak is meeting his five priorities here.

Now we're on to a question about the government's proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The PM wants to see flights take off by the spring - but Dame Diana asks if it’s true the government has been unable to find an airline company which is willing to provide the planes.

The PM refuses to be drawn on what he says are "private commercial negotiations". He says he is focused on getting the legislation necessary to turn the policy into law through Parliament and is confident it will work.

She asks about the £290m which has already been earmarked for the plan and presses for more information on what the total cost is expected to be.

Sunak says the cost will be disclosed on an annual basis in line with how the figures are usually reported and declines to give further details.

Dame Diana Johnson MP, Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, asks Sunak now about the asylum legacy backlog in the Home Office.

She says he promised that would be cleared by the end of the year and if he has achieved that.

Sunak replies that we're not at the end of the year yet and the final statistics have not been published, but that the government is making good progress.

He says the last published numbers showed the backlog is down by 80%, from 92,000 down to 18,000.

Dame Diana then asks when the PM will "stop the boats".

Sunak says the government has made progress and numbers are down by a third this year.

Dame Diana presses Sunak for a date. Sunak says there is not a precise date on when the government will stop the boats.

Alicia Kearns asks for concrete examples of how the UK has changed the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) behaviour towards to “restraint”.

Sunak says the government has urged Israel to minimise civilian casualties and allow aid in for those who need it – “that has happened” which is proof their approach is working, he says.

But “far too many innocent civilians have died,” Sunak adds.

Kearns asks is Sunak agrees with US President Joe Biden who said “indiscriminate bombings” were taking place in Gaza. Sunak dodges the question, saying he is not “privy to precise targeting” of the IDF.

“Where does responsibility sit for too many civilians dying”, Kearns asks.

Sunak says it is “extraordinary” question. Hamas committed a "terrorist attack" and hid among civilians in Gaza so should take responsibility, he says.

“Israel has a right to defend itself”, he adds.

Sunak is now being questioned by Alicia Kearns, the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. She asks for an update on progress to get UK hostages out of Gaza.

The PM says there is a limit to what he can say publicly but he assures the committee work is ongoing day and night to free them. He says the UK is involved in negotiations over ceasefires which allow hostage releases.

Kearns asks about the expression he and the foreign secretary, Lord Cameron, have used is recent days about wanting to see a “sustainable ceasefire” in the conflict. What does this entail, he is asked.

Sunak says there is no perfect formula for peace but says there needs to be an agreement which lasts - which means hostages being released and Hamas no longer being able to launch attacks on Israel via tunnels or with rockets.

He stresses that he supports pauses in fighting to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in Gaza.

Watch as the prime minister says the greatest strategic challenges the UK faces is the "increasingly complex, hostile international environment", referencing Ukraine, China, Iran, the Middle East and the situation in the Red Sea.

He was answering a question from Sir Bernard Jenkin, which we reported on earlier, who is chairing the proceedings.

We're hearing from Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Select Committee, now.

She asks if Sunak considers himself a leader on the global stage.

Sunak says others will make that determination - but that he's proud of the UK's leadership.

He says the country's response to the situation in Ukraine is an example.

The UK was the first country to provide battle tanks, long-range weapons and training for combat pilots. He says other countries have copied the UK.

Champion moves on to Yemen now. She asks if Sunak regrets cutting UK aid to Yemen this year and while he was Chancellor.

The PM says he doesn't regret the overall cuts he made to aid budget and it was the right thing for the UK, given the fiscal situation the country faces.

The PM adds that the UK remains one of the biggest aid spenders.

Chair Bernard Jenkin tries to pin Rishi Sunak down on the ongoing financial support for Ukraine. We know there is £2.3bn of financial aid due in 2023/24 – what about the next year, Jenkin asks?

Sunak says that announcement will be made “in due course”. But he insists that the UK will support Ukraine “very strongly” and assures the committee he is in regular contact with President Volodymyr Zelensky, about his “ambitions for next year”.

However, help for Ukraine must be “broader than just military support” and must move past “just thinking one year at a time”, the prime minister argues.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Last night I was at the traditional Christmas drinks for journalists in No 10 Downing Street.

Rishi Sunak only made a brief appearance – to grumbling from some of those present – before insisting he needed to go and prepare for this appearance.

The Liaison Committee is seen in Westminster as a formidable collection of backbench MPs.

Its questioning of prime ministers is both wide ranging – because it’s made up of chairs of select committees ranging from the Treasury to foreign affairs – and in depth.

Sunak can expect the next 90 minutes to be a tough grilling on his policies and his own leadership. His aim will be to defend his record this year while also avoiding saying anything newsworthy that will give him a headache in the build-up to Christmas.

Sir Bernard Jenkin, who is chairing proceedings, asks Sunak to sum up what he considers to be the greatest strategic challenges facing the UK.

The PM says the "increasingly complex and hostile international environment" over the past year has occupied more of his time than he anticipated, and references Ukraine, China, Iran, the Middle East and the situation in the Red Sea.

He says previously some elements of global stability were taken for granted but can’t be now.

Pressed on how he views the situation in Ukraine, Sunak says it is “uppermost in our minds” and warns a Russian victory would pose an existential problem in global security terms. He says the UK has been at the forefront of providing military support to Kyiv.

Up first is Karen Bradley MP. She asks Sunak how he thinks it's most appropriate for members of the Commons to scrutinise the work of the foreign office and secretary of state, after David - now Lord - Cameron was given the role, despite not being an MP.

Sunak says it's common practice for governments to appoint a secretary of state from the House of Lords.

He says it's an established process for scrutiny that's been in operation for a long time.

Bradley says there is concern that one of the great offices of state will not have the normal scrutiny that would be expected in the Commons.

In response, the PM says it's not an unprecedented situation as there have previously been senior Labour peers, who were in cabinet, from the House of Lords.

It is a long-standing practice, he adds.

The Liaison Committee has just begun, with Rishi Sunak about to be grilled by fellow MPs - many from within his own party.

Stay with us for live updates and analysis.

To watch a video stream of the event, click the Play button at the top of your screen.

Rishi Sunak’s appearance in front of the Liaison Committee comes after a tricky week for the prime minister.

He managed to see off a rebellion by some of his own MPs over his flagship Rwanda bill, which passed its first Commons hurdle with only around 30 Tories choosing to abstain.

But divisions within the party over the issue remain and factions on the right have called for the legislation to be toughened up in the new year.

The committee has set out several broad areas they plan to ask about – global issues, economic issues, the COP28 climate summit and energy issues.

The Israel-Gaza conflict, the ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the PM’s decision to water down some green policies are all expected to come up.

Sunak will want to highlight that he is on track to meet his target of halving inflation – the rate prices are rising – by the end of the year.

But with the UK economy stagnant, the PM will face questions about how he plans to get it growing again.

Image source, PA Media

We know that COP28 - the UN's annual climate change conference - is going to come up as a topic.

Sunak may be asked about the statement he made at the summit in which he said the UK's plans to meet climate targets should not burden working people.

The PM has faced criticism from green advocates for delaying several key net zero targets, and issuing new licences for oil and gas drilling.

However, Sunak has argued he was acting in a “pragmatic” way, and the UK’s targets were still more ambitious than most other countries.

Image source, UK Parliament

Sunak is likely to face tough questions from Alicia Kearns - the Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee - about Israel's military operation in Gaza.

She has been far more critical of Israel's strategy than the government. Yesterday she told the BBC she believes the Israeli military has broken international law and has "gone beyond self-defence".

Sunak and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron have subtly changed their messaging in recent days by calling for a "sustainable ceasefire" - but the government has stopped short of calling for an immediate end to fighting.

Given some Tory MPs have also broken ranks, external and called for a tougher line, it is likely Sunak will be pressed on his position by Kearns.

Image source, .

BBC analysis has found Rishi Sunak is meeting just one of the five priorities he set out at the start of the year.

In January, the prime minister pledged to halve inflation, grow the economy, cut UK debt, reduce NHS waiting lists and "stop the boats".

As parliament breaks for Christmas, BBC Verify has been looking at the data to find out how he's getting on - and it suggests two of the priorities are not being met, while two others remain in the balance. 

Sunak has said people should judge him on the government's results.

"I will only promise what I can deliver. And I will deliver what I promise", he told voters in January, while announcing the five government priorities.

More here

Liaison Committees offer MPs their best chance to scrutinise the PM on the big issues of the day.

Because of this, committee meetings are often long and cover a wide range of subjects.

Today’s session - expected to last about 90 minutes - includes questions broken down into these main segments:

• Global affairs, which could include the Israel-Gaza war and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine

• Economic issues, such as the PM’s progress towards meeting his growth and debt objectives

• COP28 and energy issues - the PM could be asked about his concluding statement at the climate conference, and his own net zero announcements

Sunak may also face questions on his Rwanda policy, after Labour wrote to the government spending watchdogs asking for scrutiny of the asylum plans

Here's the Liaison Committee's own list of the topics., external